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Koki, Stan
Bullying in Schools Should Not Be Par for the Course. PREL
Briefing Paper.
Pacific Resources for Education and Learning, Honolulu, HI.
Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED)
Washington, DC.
PB9906
1999-11-00
RJ96006601
Reports - Descriptive (141)
M F O ~ / P C O ~ Plus Postage.
Aggression; *Bullying; Child Rearing; Elementary Secondary
Education; Foreign Countries; Intervention; Prevention;
Regional Characteristics; Violence
*Pacific Region
5P -
ABSTRACT
While it might appear to be a harmless rite of passage,
bullying can have deadly consequences for some school children. Reports from
Norway, England, and Japan indicate that children have allegedly committed
suicide following episodes of severe bullying. Researchers agree that
bullying is worldwide in scope and negatively impacts the general school
culture and students' right to attend safe schools free of fear. There seems
to be a lack of bullying among Pacific Island children, perhaps because it is
a group experience (friends coming to the aid of a victim). In Micronesia and
Polynesia, traditional child-rearing is usually indulgent, protective, and
supportive, with collective and shared authority over children, values that
might positively influence later behavior. Studies indicate a strong
correlation between bullying other students during school years and criminal
behavior in adulthood. Bullying seems to increase during elementary years,
peak during junior high school years, and decline during high school years.
A n intervention approach includes distributing an initial questionnaire to
student and adults, increasing personal awareness, establishing class rules,
and incorporating other components of anti-bullying programs. There .is still
a great need for schools to be vigilant of bullying behavior and take
preventive action. (RT)